Let it Roll

Six Weeks In

Looking at the calender I see that tomorrow, May 18th, marks only our 6th week out on the course.  This was a later than usual start by two weeks. 

Drainage near 10 green  - April 6th, 2015

 On April 6th we were able to drive on the course for the first time with equipment.  In spite of that, a considerable amount of work has been completed.  It's a relatively short amount of time to take the course from dormancy, to in-shape and playable.  There's a small amount of work to button up but the bulk of construction and course improvements are complete.  It's time to shift gears into our course maintenance mode when we home in on greens conditioning, edging, weed control, and trimming for the remainder of the summer.   The spring grounds crew at Tuscarora is not a large one in number, but they make up for it in experience and efficiency.  I'm proud of my crew for their hard work and dedication to the tasks at hand. 


Change in Plans
Our normal spring aerifying that we accomplish in April was postponed due to the late thaw and subsequent time crunch.  Aerifying with small tines will happen in the normal June time slot.  Expect the holes to be filled with sand and closed up within a few days.  We did aerify 10 green two weeks ago to help the new sod knit together and to better survive the summer months to come.  New sod at greens and tee height tends to struggle under mowing pressure.  Aerifying gives it that little extra room to place roots and hang on.

Weeds, Bugs, and Pesticides
Spring time on golf courses means the use of herbicides and insecticides.  We do the vast majority of our spraying in the early mornings before play and post signs on the first and 10th tees when an application has been made.  This is state law and is also to give people the choice to be on the course that day or not.  Treatments are time sensitive in that they need to be done in favorable weather conditions and done as far away from people as reasonable.  As we are closely monitored by the state of New York, unlike a homeowner, we can't risk making applications unless conditions are perfect and risk to people is low.  This could mean you'll look at a dandelion for a few more days than you'd like, but we're sure you'd rather us be safe and make good decisions than try to spray when conditions are risky.  As always, your patience is appreciated as we try to bring you the best conditions in a responsible way. 

 New Tees
The new tees on 3 and 16 continue to come along nicely.  We have current tee space enough at both sites, and the support of the board, to open these tees when they're mature and can handle the foot traffic. The feeling of the board is to get these tees as healthy and as ready as possible and avoid opening them prematurely.  When asked, I relate their opening to the construction of a new course.  If a new course in Syracuse was seeded in the spring of this year, they probably wouldn't open until fall.   In our situation, it'll be more like a couple of months as I can push such a small area with fertilizer, rollers, and aerifiers.  Expect 3 tee to be in full play in mid-June. Since16 tee was started later I expect it to be playable closer to mens MG week. 

Bluebirds
Andrew Hickey is a member who is also a bird enthusiast and last winter he approached me about a project he wanted to take on.  Andrew was aware that we have a small Bluebird population at Tuscarora that hangs out between 16 green and the woods on 5/6.  Encouraging them to return every year is a good thing as they are ravenous insect eaters.  Here's some information Andrew put together explaining his project.  Thanks, Andrew!

As you may have noticed, pairs of bluebird nest boxes have been added to Tuscarora on holes #3, #4, #7, and #14. There are two main reasons (besides their beautiful craftsmanship, of course) why you will often see bluebird houses on golf courses.

Bluebirds and tree swallows (pictured) nest in natural cavities in trees. Golf courses provide terrific habitat for these species since there is an abundance of insects and open spaces. Many trees on golf courses that would have these cavities are usually removed, often because they are either dying or diseased, so these boxes help provide an attractive alternative.

Bluebird houses have also helped the species rebound after it was severely decimated by the introduction of non-native species, specifically house sparrows and starlings. These European immigrants are voracious competitors for food and nesting space, often killing bluebirds while fighting over nesting sites. Luckily we don't have too many house sparrows and the holes in the nest boxes are just large enough for bluebirds, but too small for starlings.

It is my hope that members of Tuscarora will enjoy observing these birds while they court, build their nests, and raise their young.  I will be going around and monitoring the boxes once a week to maintain and record any nesting activities for The Cornell Lab or Ornithology's NestWatch (http://nestwatch.org). If anyone is interested in learning more, including children, I would be happy to take you along to learn more about the process and peer inside the boxes.

Zoom in -- each box has a bird perched on it already.

     

On the Horizon
Over the next month here's what you'll be seeing relating to grounds work:

• Tees aerified and overseeded, especially ones that took winter damage 
• Greens aerified after Memorial Day
• Fairway divot filling crew
• More irrigation work on older pipe sections
• Flower bed addition and improvement
• New plantings to replace winter damaged ones around clubhouse
• Pavement work around the club and 1st tee